Printables
Christmas Budget & Gift Planner
Set a budget for every person, log each purchase, and watch what's left - plus printable gift, card, menu and to-do pages.
$4.99Buy
Free tool · no sign-up
Christmas budget calculator
Type in what you can spend this holiday season. The calculator splits it into categories, sets a fair gift limit for each person on your list, and tells you how much to save each week before December 25.
How to use the Christmas budget calculator
- Start with money you actually have. Add what's already set aside to what you can spare each week until the holiday. That's a total you can pay in cash, with nothing left on a card in January.
- Count the people, not the gifts. Put each person on your list in one of three tiers. Close family gets three shares, extended family and friends two, and small thank-you gifts one. Every limit then adds up exactly to your gift budget.
- Adjust the split to your family. Hosting this year? Move a few percent from gifts to food. Not traveling? Set travel to zero and the rest grows automatically.
- Write the limits down before you shop. Copy them onto a gift list, or into the planner, and log each purchase so you always know what's left.
What goes in a holiday budget
Gifts are only part of the season. The lines that surprise people most are the small ones: wrapping paper, postage, teacher gifts, the extra grocery run before guests arrive, and an outfit for the office party. Our starting split gives each of those a line so they're planned instead of discovered.
| Category | Starting split | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Gifts | 55% | Presents for everyone on your list, plus stocking stuffers |
| Food & hosting | 15% | Holiday meals, baking, drinks and anything you bring to a party |
| Travel | 10% | Gas, flights, a hotel night, pet sitting |
| Decorations | 5% | Tree, lights and replacing anything broken |
| Cards, wrap & postage | 4% | Cards, stamps, wrapping paper, tape, shipping gifts |
| Outfits & events | 4% | Party clothes, tickets, outings with the kids |
| Giving | 4% | Charity, toy drives, tips for regular service providers |
| Buffer | 3% | The thing nobody planned for |
These percentages are our suggested starting point, not a rule. Change them to match your family.
Keep it on paper too
A calculator gives you the plan; a list keeps you on it. Our free Holiday Budget Starter Kit has a one-page budget, a gift list with a limit column and a six-week countdown. For a full step-by-step walkthrough, read how to make a holiday budget and stick to it, and to start saving for next year, see sinking funds explained.
Questions, answered
How much should I spend on Christmas?
Spend what you can pay for in cash by January: money you've already set aside plus what your November and December paychecks can spare after regular bills. A number built from your own income is safer than any national average, because averages say nothing about your rent, debt or savings goals.
How do I split a holiday budget?
Start with gifts, food and hosting, and travel, because they're usually the biggest lines, then add smaller lines for decorations, cards and postage, outfits and events, and giving. Keep a small buffer for the things nobody plans for. The calculator's starting split is only a suggestion, so change any percentage to fit your family.
How much should I spend per person on gifts?
Divide your gift budget by the people on your list, giving more weight to close family than to coworkers or neighbors. The calculator does this with three tiers, so a parent or partner gets a bigger limit than a teacher gift while everything still adds up to your total.
How do I save for Christmas next year?
Divide this year's total by 12 and move that amount into a separate savings account every month starting in January. That's a sinking fund, and it means next December is already paid for before you start shopping.
Does the calculator save my numbers?
Your numbers stay in your browser and are never sent to us. Use the Copy link button to save a link with your numbers filled in, or Print to keep a paper copy next to your gift list.
Make the math automatic
Holiday planners that add it up for you
Save 38%Bundles
Holiday Season Bundle
Plan Christmas, save for it all year, and host without the January money hangover.
$15.99 $25.94Buy
Spreadsheets
Sinking Funds Tracker
It does the math: how much to set aside each month to hit every goal on time.
$4.99Buy